In this first issue of a children's literature annual, 10 articles on poetry for young people are presented. The articles and their authors are as follows: "There Is No Net To Catch A Poem" (Jane Yolen); "Poetry and the Self" (Myra Cohn Livingston); "The World Outside My Skin" (Eve Merriam); "American Poetry for Children--The Twentieth Century" (Lee Bennett Hopkins); "Sparks and Wonder: Poetry for Children in the 90s" (Paul B. Janeczko); "Poetry and Song for Young Children" (Nancy Larrick); "Giving the Gift of a Poet's Words: Sharing Poetry with Older Children" (Lee Galda); "Writing on the Riverbank with a Banjo on my Knee" (Charles Temple); "On Becoming a Collector" (Carol J. Fisher); and "A Retrospective of Outstanding Poetry for Youth: 1980-1992" (M. Jean Greenlaw). (SR)